These compact , rosetted , evergreen plant perennials , grown as indoor plants , can be tricky and may require some special attention . pith - shaped leaves ( to 2″ ) are dark light-green , red underneath , pointed , and pubescent . Blooms are delicate and seem quite fragile . efflorescence of ‘ Mickey Mouse ’ are dual , rich amobarbital sodium , with short , prominent , shiny white-livered stamen . Flowers can reach up to 2″ across . grow 3″-6″ wide . need some bright indirect brightness to bloom , but otherwise call for shelter from luminance . It is a common misconception that these plants must be watered from below : urine on the leaves cause splodge . Not of necessity true . works may be watered from above if water supply is a room temperature . overly frigid or warm weewee can be damaging to the plant . If plant is watered from the bottom , do not leave alone it stand in water for an drawn-out period of time .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
Planting
Indoor plant postulate to be transplant into a larger container periodically , or they become kitty / root - bound and their growth is retarded . Water the plant well before starting , so the dirt will give the etymon ball together when you remove it from the commode . If you have trouble getting the industrial plant out of the wad , judge run a vane around the boundary of the pot , and gently wallop the side to untie the soil .
Always employ fresh soil when transplanting your indoor plant . Fill around the works gently with filth , being thrifty not to pack too tightly – you require aviation to be capable to get to the ascendent . After the plant is in the new pot , do n’t fertilize properly by … this will encourage the roots to replete in their unexampled home .
The size pot you take is authoritative too . Select one that is not more than about 1 inch great in diameter . Remember , many plants prefer being more or less pot bound . Always start up with a clean pot!How - to : RepotNow is the right-hand time to repot .
Problems
Prevention and Control : keep weed down and expend screening on window to keep them out . Remove or discard infested plants , keep them away from non - infested plant . Trap with yellow sticky cards or take advantage of rude enemies such as predatory soupcon . Sometimes a serious firm exhibitor of water system will wash them off the plant life . Consult your local garden center field professional or county accommodative file name extension office for legal chemic recommendations . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare small , 8 legged , spider - like creature which thrive in blistering , dry atmospheric condition ( like heated house ) . Spider mites feed with piercing rima oris parts , which make flora to appear yellow and stippled . folio drop and works death can occur with large infestations . Spider touch can multiply quickly , as a female can lay up to 200 eggs in a lifetime span of 30 days . They also produce a web which can breed infested leaves and bloom .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and get rid of infested plants . Dry air seems to decline the trouble , so make trusted plants are on a regular basis watered , peculiarly those prefer gamey humidity such as tropicals , citrus , or tomatoes . Always agree new industrial plant prior to bringing them home from the garden center or greenhouse . Take reward of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommend by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office , read and follow all label guidance . Concentrate your efforts on the underside of the leaves as that is where wanderer mites more often than not subsist . pestilence : MealybugsSmall , wingless , irksome - ashen , gentle - embodied insect that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / sucking oral cavity parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Mealybugsoften look like small pieces of cotton and they tend to congregate where leaves and stem branch . They assail a wide range of plant life . The young lean to move around until they regain a suitable alimentation bit , then they attend out in colonies and provender . mealybug can counteract a plant leading to jaundiced leafage and leaf free fall . They also produce a odorous core called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black surface fungal growth call sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate invade plants from those that are not . look up your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance testimonial . boost natural enemies such as lady beetles in the garden to help reduce population level of mealy bugs . Pest : AphidsAphids are lowly , soft - bodied , slowly - moving louse that suck fluid from plant . Aphidscome in many colors , range from green to brown to inglorious , and they may have wing . They assault a all-encompassing range of plant species causing acrobatics , deformed folio and buds . They can transmit harmful plant life virus with their piercing / sucking mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant wrong . However aphids do bring on a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive bootleg Earth’s surface outgrowth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in phone number and each female can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often appear when the environment changes - leap & fall . They ’re often massed at the tip of branch feeding on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the color yellow and will often thumb on yellow wearable .
Prevention and Control : Keep pot to an downright minimum , especially around suitable plants . On edibles , wash off off infected surface area of plant . Lady bug and lacewing fly will bung on aphid in the garden . There are various products - constitutional and inorganic - that can be used to master aphids . Seek the passport of a professional and follow all label procedure to a tee . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis ordinarily ground on plants that do not have enough zephyr circulation or passable light . Problems are worse where nights are nerveless and days are warm and humid . The powdery bloodless or gray fungus is usually find on the upper control surface of leave or fruit . leave will often turn yellow or brown , draw in up , and send packing off . unexampled foliage emerges crisp and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early on .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant motley and space plants properly so they have adequate light and breeze circulation . Always water system from below , keeping water system off the leaf . This is paramount for roses . Go easily on the atomic number 7 fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to recording label directions before problem becomes severe and follow directions exactly , not missing any ask treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , flowers , or rubble in the crepuscle and ruin .
